An important report was published in the USA just before Christmas that was designed to a) identify research gaps in ME/CFS, b) identify methodological and scientific weaknesses, c) suggest research needs, and d) move the field forward through an unbiased, evidence-based assessment of a complex public health issue.
The report was published as part of the Pathways to Prevention programme of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and was produced by a panel of independent academics – none of whom had ‘history’ in ME/CFS. What they came up with could have worldwide repercussions for the way ME/CFS is researched in the future.
Here, DR CHARLES SHEPHERD, medical adviser to The ME Association, summarises the key findings of the draft executive summary and considers where we might go from here.